Sunday, September 13, 2015

Week 2 College Football Recap: Rankings, Heisman, Playoff Projections

Week 2 brought us a lot of exciting games, including
Auburn being exposed against FCS foe Jacksonville State and Arkansas getting
upended at home by Toledo. Oklahoma had a huge comeback on the road. Notre Dame
escaped with a win, despite losing Heisman frontrunner Malik Zaire for the
season. It’s all happening!

25 (25). BYU (2-0)
– After a second consecutive miraculous win for the Cougars, they still
can’t really rise in the rankings. That type of luck isn’t sustainable.

24 (24). Arizona
State(1-1) – They treaded water for four quarters against FCS foe Cal Poly,
but they came out on top. The Big Sky is as good as a couple FBS conferences.

23 (NR). Wisconsin
(1-1) – The Badgers took out their frustration on Miami Ohio, winning 58-0.
They will slowly climb the rankings as the season goes on.

22 (15). Florida
State (2-0) – The Seminoles looked really bad against South Florida. Maybe
Everett Golson isn’t the right guy under center.

21 (23). Arizona (2-0)
– Playing in Nevada seemed like a trap game, but the Wildcats prevailed and
really looked a lot better than in week one.

20 (NR). Kansas
State (2-0) – K-State has only given up 3 points in the first 2 weeks. Good
enough for me…but no one wants to pay attention to Coach Snyder’s squad.

19 (NR). Utah (2-0)
– Utah took down in-state foe Utah State in week two. The Utes,
unfortunately, are in the best division in college football (5/6 ranked teams).

18 (22). West
Virginia (2-0) – The Mountaineers look to have a much better team than
their disappointing 2014 campaign. They are going to surprise some teams in the
Big 12 with an actual defense to go with the Holgorson offense.

17 (11). Clemson (2-0)
– Clemson has been a bit underwhelming early on. They didn’t necessarily do
anything to drop in the rankings, but they also didn’t do anything to sustain
their spot.

16 (19). Mississippi
(2-0) – I am not buying into the Rebels just yet. So what they can score
almost 150 points against weak teams…let’s see how they do in Tuscaloosa next
week.

15 (17). LSU (1-0)
– LSU got a gutsy, close win on the road in their first game of the season.
This team could wind up being a playoff contender.

14 (10). Baylor (2-0)
– You simply cannot give up 31 points to Lamar.

13 (9). Oregon (1-1)
– The Ducks performed admirably in a nearly impossible game to win in East
Lansing. I actually have a bit more respect for the Ducks after this game.

12 (12). UCLA (2-0)
– I am not going to buy completely into the Bruins like last year until I
see them win a big game. They look awfully good so far, though.

11 (16). Northwestern
(2-0) – Northwestern followed up their pounding of Stanford with a shutout
at home. I might have them a bit high, but that defense is ferocious.

10 (7). Georgia (2-0)
– The Bulldogs are going to run the ball on any defense they play, but the
defense isn’t quite up to what it needs to be.

9 (13). Oklahoma (2-0)
– Coming back from 17 down on the road in a hostile environment was
mightily impressive for Baker Mayfield and company. This seems like one of
those teams that just will not go away.

8 (14). Georgia
Tech (2-0) – The Justin Thomas-led offense is humming like no running
attack in years. The Yellow Jackets have got to be the favorite in the ACC, and
they have a real shot at the playoffs if they can survive their schedule.

7 (8). Texas
A&M (2-0) – The Aggies have a killer offense and a dynamic defensive
line. That should be good enough to make real noise in the SEC West.

6 (2). Notre Dame (2-0)
– Beating Virginia on the road is ok, but doing it how they did it was a
real accomplishment. They lose their starting QB for the season, but their
backup comes in and leads the game winning drive with under 30 seconds left. I
just can’t see them going unbeaten anymore without Zaire.

5 (5). Alabama (2-0)
– Alabama had a sandwich game with Middle Tennessee, and they looked as
solid as possible. This team is going to be really tough to beat by anyone.

4 (3). TCU (2-0) –
They looked much more potent on offense against an FCS opponent. I am not
completely sure what to make of them, but they will get it all working by
conference season.

3 (6). Michigan
State (2-0) – Sparty had the most impressive win of the season so far, and
they made a real case for being the most balanced team out there.

2 (4). USC (2-0) –
The Trojans look like world beaters. The defense is playing outstanding, and
Cody Kessler is the real deal. Watch out.

1 (1). Ohio State (2-0)
– They are the best, scariest team since 2001 Miami. If you vote for anyone
else, you are lying.

Top 5 Games
for Next Weekend

5. Stanford at USC (#2), 5:00PM ABC – Stanford may
look ugly on offense, but the defense is still there. This has become an
interesting game year in and year out, no matter what the teams look like.

PREDICTION:USC 21-13

4. Auburn at LSU (#15), 12:30PM CBS – Yeah, Auburn
is the current laughing stock in college football, but never underestimate Gus
Malzahn. Remember in their near title run in 2013 they almost lost to
Washington State early. They can totally win this game.

PREDICTION:LSU 37-34

3. BYU (#25) at UCLA (#12), 7:30PM FS1 – BYU really
put together a schedule that is going to challenge them, and they look really
good with a backup QB taking all the snaps. This will be a test for Josh Rosen,
true freshman QB for UCLA.

PREDICTION:UCLA 24-17

2. Mississippi (#16) at Alabama (#5), 6:15PM ESPN
– Ole Miss will not score 73 against Alabama. They do have the type of offense
that give the Tide fits, though, and they did beat them last year. Revenge
game? Yes.

PREDICTION:Alabama 31-16

1. Georgia Tech (#8) at Notre Dame (#6), 12:30PM NBC
– These are two of the early season surprises. The Notre Dame defense is
terrifying, as is the Yellow Jacket rushing attack. I love this matchup.

PREDICTION:Georgia Tech 23-21

Heisman
Trophy Watch

5. Derrick Henry,
RB, Alabama – In that offense, he is going to be able to do whatever he
wants. He might be splitting carries, but he is going to have the ball when it
matters. Sometimes, that is enough.

4. Justin Thomas, QB, Georgia Tech – He is the leader of that
relentless rushing attack, and maybe the best throwing quarterback that Paul
Johnson has had. If they come out on top against Notre Dame, then we will hear
a lot about him.

3. Cody Kessler,
QB, USC – He is the best quarterback in the nation, and it is a quarterback
award usually. He could be on his way to being the most efficient quarterback
of all time.

2. Ezekiel
Elliott, RB, Ohio State – I am not sure if it is possible for him to finish
with under 100 yards in any game, no matter the number of carries.

1. Nick Chubb, RB,
Georgia – He is going to put up insane numbers in that offense. If they can
keep winning, this might be an easy vote.

College
Football Playoff Projections

Chik-fil-A Peach Bowl: Georgia Tech over
Texas A&M

Rose Bowl: Michigan State over UCLA

Fiesta Bowl: TCU over Western Kentucky

Sugar Bowl: Oregon over Mississippi

College Football Playoff Semifinal #1
(Orange Bowl): Ohio State over Oklahoma

CFB Playoff Semifinal #2 (Cotton Bowl):
USC over Alabama

National
Championship Game: Ohio State over USC

What did you think of this week 2? Who is your Heisman frontrunner? Let me know below!